Decorticating-machine



(No Model.)

' 5 SheetsSheet- 1. G. GIBSON.

DEGORTIGATING MAGHINE.

t I w a R n HF /1 -11: P .2 7

[/77 ATTORVILIEZ.

2%VITNESSES:

N. PETERS. Phnivl-Ilhngnphnr. Washington. D. c.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet- 3.

G. GIBSON. DEGORTIGATING MACHINE.

No. 308.839. Patented Dec. 2, 1884.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR.

5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

G. GIBSON.

DBUORTIGATING MAGHINB. I

- Patented Dec. 2, 1884.

WITN ESSES:

% BYJMLA l m 115$ DWXLUM Q 7 ATTOR N ZY.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet- 5.

G. GIBSON. DEGORTIOATING- MACHINE. No. 308,839 Patented Dec. 2, 1884.

INVEN' ATTORNEY.

' llturnn rates ATENT rricn.

GEORGE GIBSON, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, WILLIAMP. DILWORTH, WILLIAM M. LYON, AND JOHN M. TIERNAN, ALL OF SAME PLACE,AND HENRY KLEBER, IDA KLEBER, HENRY KLEBER, J R., AND LOUIS KLEBER, ALLOF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

QLECIIFECATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 308,839, datedDecember 2, 1884-.

Application filed July 12, 1884. (No model.)

Tn ctZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that l, GEORGE GIBSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State ofPennsylvania, have invented or discovered certain new and usefulImprovements in DecorticatingMachines, of whichimprovement the followingis a specification.

In the accompanying drawings,which make Y to part of this specification,Figure 1 is a side elevation of one side of my improveddecortieating-machine. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the opposite side ofthe machine, the aproncarriers being removed. Fig. 3 is a diagrammaticview showing the arrangement of the various rollers of the machine. Fig.4 is a detail view on an enlarged scale of one of the roller-carriers.Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the same. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevationon the line 00 a", Fig. 2. Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views on an enlargedscale of one of the scrapers and the pickup roll.

My invention relates to a new and improved machine for removing thefiber from jute,

ramie, and other fibrous plants; and the object of my invention is to sotreat the fibrous plants that the fibers may be obtained in a clean,unbroken, and parallel condition; and to this end my invention consistsin the method and apparatus, as more fully hereinafter described andclaimed.

On one side of the frame 1 is secured the shaft 2, on which is securedthe power-wheel 3, and on the shaft 2 is also mounted the gear-. wheel4, preferably formed integral with the hub of the wheel 3. Thisgear-wheel meshes with the gear-wheel 5, secured to one end of the shaftof the lower crushing-roller, 6, and this wheel in turn meshes with thegearwheel 7, secured to one end of theshaft of the upper crushingroller. The shafts of these crushing-rollers 6 and '8 are mounted injournal-boxes 9, which are located in vertical slots 10 of the frame 1,the journal-box of the upper roller, 8, being free to move up and downin said slot, and the upper roller being held against the lower by theweighted levers 11, which are pivoted to the frame of the machine andbear upon the journalboxes 9 of the upper roller. The material to becrushed is fed to these rollers 6 and 8 by the en less apron 12,whichpasses around the rollers 13 and 14, the former being mounted in theframe 1 just in front of the crushingrollers, and the roller 14: beingmounted in the 5 5 front end of the auxiliary frame 15, secured, asshown, to the front end of the frame 1. The roller 13 is driven by abelt, 16, passing around a pulley, 17, in the shaft of the lowercrushing-roller, 6, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,) and a pulley, 18,on one end of the roller 13, and that portion of the apron which movestoward the crushing-rollersis held in a horizontal position by a plate,19, secured to thesides of the auxiliary frame under this 6 portion ofthe apron. After being crushed between the rollers 6 and 8 the materialpasses along a horizontal guide-plate, 20, secured to the sides of theframe 1 just in the rear of the rollers 6 and 8, and is next caught bythe feeding-rollers 21 and 22. These feedingrolh. ers are reduced attheir ends to form journals, which are mounted in the journal-boxes 23and 24. located in the vertical slots 25 in the frame 1, the upperroller, 21, being held in 7 contact with the lower roller by the springs26, the tension of which is regulated by the screws 27, passing throughthe cap-plate 28, secured to the frame over the slots 25. The lower feedroller, 22, is driven by a gearwheel, 30, secured to the power-shaft 2through a train of idler-gears, 31 and 32, and a gearwheel, 33, securedto the journal of the lower feed roller. The upper feed roller, 21, isdriven from the same place and through the same train of idlers 31 and32; but from this last idler motion is transmitted across the machine bythe gear 34 and shaft 35, journaled on the sides of the frame 1. On theopposite end of this shaft 35 is secured the gear 36, 0 (see Fig. 2,)which meshes with the gear 37 on the journal of the upper roller, 21.

On the rollers 21 and 22,inside of the frame 1, are mounted the carriers38 and39 of the fiber lifting and feeding rollers, and as these 5carriers are precisely similar in construction I will confine mydescription to one of them,

premising, however, that the upper carrier is pivotally supported on theupper roller, 21,

and the lower carrier, 39, is pivotally hung 5 from the lower roller,22, and the relative positions of the various rolls ofthe upper carrierare reversed in the lower carrier, as will be plainly seen by referenceto Fig. 3. I The carrier consists of two side plates, 40 and 41, eachhaving a nearly-circular head portion and a handle or lever, 42, held inproper relative position to each other by the bracerods 43, 44, and'45,and the various rollers which are mounted in the carrier.

In describing the arrangement and mounting of the rollers in thecarriers I will describe them in the order of their operation on thematerials. In the center of the head portion of the plates 40 and 41 ismounted the main feeding-roll 46, which is slightly grooved on itssurface, so as to take a hold on the fibers. Below the roll 46, and inclose proximity to the rollers 21 and 22, is mounted what I term thepick-up roller. 47, which catches the ends of the fibers and throws themup against the roll 46 as the crushing material is fed to said pick-uproll by the feed-rolls 21and 22. The pick-up roll is spirally grooved onits surface, (see Fig. 8,) said grooves being so shaped as to form anedge, 48, on one side of the groove, but this edge 48 does not projectbeyond the periphery of the roll, and the edge will not, therefore, cutinto the woody portion of the material passed between the pick-up rolls,but will present a smooth surface tosaid woody portion, the solefunction of the edges being to catch the ends of the fibers as they arepresented and throw said ends up against the roll 46. The pick-up roll47 is provided with a journal, 49, at one end,which projects through theside plate and through a slot, 50, in the frame 1. On this projectingjournal 49 is secured a small belt-pulley, 51, driven by a belt, 52,from any conveniently-located powerwheel. It will beunderstood that thejournal of the pick-up 47 in the lower carrier projects on the oppositeside of the machine, and is similarly driven by a belt, but in anopposite direction, as will be seen by reference to Figs. 1 and 2. Thefibers are thrown against the roll 46 between the pick-up roll 47 andfeed-roller 21, and the roll 46, revolving in the direction indicated bythe arrows in Fig. 3, carries the fibers in between itself and thefeed-roller 21. As the fibers pass from between the roll 46 and theroller 21 they are caught by a succession of rollers, 53, 54, 55, 56,and brush 57, and thus kept in contact with the roll 46 for a littlemore than half its circumference. These rollers 53 to 56 and brush 57are mounted in j ournal-boxes located in radial slots 58, formed in thecircumference of the head portion of the side platcs,40 and 41, and areheld in contact with the main roll 46 by the springs 59, arranged insaid radial slots between the j ournal-boxes and the cap-plate 60. Oneend of each of the rollers and brush are provided with journals 61,which project beyond the side plate, 41, (see Fig. 4,) and on theseprojecting journals are secured the gears 62, which mesh into the gear63, secured on the journal 64 of the roll 46. This gear 63 also meshesinto and is driven by the gear 65,

keyed to thejournal of the feed-roller 21.

To prevent the fibers from getting wrapped around any of the rollers 53to 56, scrapers 66 are arranged in contact with said rollers, as shownin Fig. 5. These scrapers, consisting of steel blades having a sharpenededge, are held in place by studs 67, screwed through the plates 40 and41, and provided at their inner ends with slots, into which the ends ofthe scrapers tightly fit. The scraper of the roller 56 is attached tothe brace-rod 44, differing in this manner of attachment from the otherscrapers.

To prevent the fiberfrom being caught by the brush 57, a blade providedwith a combedge is substituted for the scrapers. In operating in somefibrous material a brush is not essential for cleaning the same, inwhich case a plain roller and a scraper are substituted for i the brushand comb. As the fibers pass from under the last roller 56, they arelifted from the roll 46 by a scraper, 68, and, sliding over saidscraper, they pass upon an endless apron, 69, which passes around therolls 70 and 71, the former being mounted in the side plates, 40 and 41,and the latter in the rear end of the auxiliary frame-72, attached tothe rear end of the frame 1. There are two of these aprons 69 to carryaway the fibers from each of the carriers. The scraper 68 is provided atits ends with the lugs 87, which project into the radial grooves 88 inthe plates 40 and 41, and through these lugs pass screws 89,

their lower ends bearing upon the end of the grooves 88. Around thesescrews 89 are placed the spiral springs 90. The lower ends of thesprings rest upon the lugs 87 and the upper ends bearing against thecap-plates 91, secured over the grooves 88. By turning the screws 89 thescrapers can beadjusted to and from the roll 46. The woody part fromwhich the fibers have been removed as above described passes on betweenthe pick-up rolls 47, and is caughtby the fluted rollers 73,which aremounted in journal-boxes 74, located in the vertical slots in the frame1, the lower roller having the gear 76 secured on one of its journals,said gear meshing with the idler 77, which meshes with and is driven bythe gear 33 of the lower feed-roll, 22, (see Fig. 1,) and the upperfluted roll is driven by the gear 37, secured on the journal of theupper roller, 21, through the idler 78, and the gear 79, secured to theprojecting journal of the upper fluted roller, (see Fig. 2,) which isheld against the lower by springs in the slots 75. From these flutedrollers 73 the woody part passes along the inclined table 80, in whichare mounted at certain intervals the rollers 81, said rollers beingdriven by the belt 82 from the roller'7l,over which the lower apron,'69,

passes. The journals of the rollers 71 are mounted in horizontal slots83 in the sides of the auxiliary frame 72, and are adjusted in saidslots by the slotted plates 84. The rollers 71 are driven by the belt 85from the pulley 86, secured to the journal of the lower crushing-roller,6, said belt passing around the rollers 71, as shown in Fig. 1.

The carriers 38 and 39 are pivotall y mounted on journals of thefeed-rollers 21 and 22, as above stated, and the adjustment of saidcarriers to bring the pick-up rollers 47 in proper proximity to eachother and into proper relation to the feed-rollers 21 and 22 is effectedby turning said carriers on theirpivotal rollers 21 and 22. This turningor partial rotation of the carriers is effected by the handles or levers42, forming part of the side plates, 40 and 41. The handles or levers oftheupper carrier rest upon the pins 92, located in the vertical slots 93in the frame 1, that part of the pins which passes th rough the slotsbeing reduced in size, thereby forming a shoulder, and the pins are heldin any desired position by drawing said shoulder against the edges ofthe slot by means of a nut screwing on the reduced portion of the pins.The handles of the lower carrier,

, 39, rest upon pins 94, located in slots 95, these pins being similarin construction to the pins 92, above described.

To relieve lower roller, 22, of part of the weight of the lower carrier,89, said carrier is supported by the weighted lever 95, pivoted on pinssecured in the sides of the frame 1, the free ends of said leversbearing against the side plates of the lower carrier.

Immediately over the journals of the upper fluted roller, 73, plates 96are adjustably secured to the side plates, 40 and 41. These plates 96bear lightly on the journals of the fluted .roller when the levers 42rest upon the supporting-pins 92. The purpose of these plates 96 will bemore fully stated hereinafter.

To obtain the fiber from jute, ramie, and other fibrous plants they aretreated in the following manner: The fibrous material is placed upon theapron 12, and is delivered by it to the crushing-rolls 6 and 8, whichare so adjusted by the weighted levers 11 as to crush the materials to auniform thickness and loosen the fiber from the woody stalk. From thecrushingrolls the crushed material passes along the guide-plates 20, andis then caught by the feed-rollers 21 and 22, whose adjacent surfacesrevolve in the direction of the feed of the crushed material. Thesefeed-rollers present the material to they pick-up rolls 47, revolving ina direction contrary to the feed, as indicated by arrows in Fig. 3.These pick-up rolls are so adjusted with reference to each other byturning their carriers as above described that the edges 48 will catchthe ends of the fibrous part of the crushed material, one of said rollsacting on the upper and the other on the lower surface of the crushedmaterial, and, lifting this'fibrons part from the Woody stalk, willthrow it against the main after passing from under the rollers 57 thesefibers are lifted from the roll46 by the scraper 68, and from thence aredelivered upon the aprons 69.

Having followed the fibrous part of the ma terial through the machine, Iwill now return and describe the passage of the woody stalk from thefeed-rolls 21 and 22. From these rolls 21 and 22 the stalk freed fromits fibers passes between the pick-up rolls 47, which do not act uponthe stalk, as above stated, but the centrifugal force of said rollsacts, as -it were, to keep the stalk from contact with the rolls, andthus, although revolving against the feed of the stalk, they do notofier any material opposition to said feed. After passing between thepick-up rolls the stalk is caught by the fluted fe'edrolls 73, and bythem fed onto the table 80. These fluted rolls 73 are so adjusted thatthe upper roll will be slightly raised by the entrance of the stalk, andin rising this upper roll will slightly turn the upper carrier on itspivotal point through the medium of the plates 96, which in the normalposition of the parts rests but slightly on the journal of the upperfluted rolls. By this movement of the upper carrier the pick-up rolls 47are slightly separated, to diminish the bite of said rolls on thematerial, and to permit of a more unimpeded passage of the stalk. Itwill be noticed, however, that this separa tion of the pick-uprolls-does not occur until after they have performed their function oflifting the fibers from the woody stalk and delivered them to fiber-feedrolls mounted in the carrier. After the fibers have been caught by theirfeed-rolls they will be stripped from the woody stalk without theinterposition of the pick-up rolls. The separation of the pickup rollsshould not be so great as to prevent them from catching the ends of thefibers which might be broken and delivering such broken ends to thefeed-rolls.

It will be observed that it is a characteristic of my machine that thefibers are stripped from the stalks in long lengths and are kept IlOstraight and even, which is impossible when the fibers are scraped off,as has heretofore been customary.

In treating ramie and other similar plants a brush is substituted forone of thesmall rolls in the carriers for the purpose of cleaning thefibers; but in treating jute this brush is not essential.

I claim herein as my invention-- 1. I11 a dccorticating machine, a pairof crushing or fiberloosening rolls, in combination with a pair offiber-lifting rolls, and rolls for feeding the freed fibers,substantially as set forth.

2. In a decorticating machine, a pair of crushing or fiber-looseningrolls, in combination with a pair of adj ustablefiber-lifting rolls, androlls for feeding the freed fibers, substantially as set forth.

3. I11 a decorticating machine, a pair of crushing-rolls, in combinationwith a pair of fiber-lifting rolls,and pivotal carriers for sup portingthe fiber-lifting rolls, substantially as set forth.

4. In a decorticating machine, a pair of crushingrolls, in combinationwith a pair of feed-rolls, carriers pivotally supported on thefeed-rolls, and a pair of fiber lifting rolls mounted in said carriers,substantially as set forth.

5. In a decorticatingmachine, a pair of feed-rolls, in combination withcarriers pivotally supported on the feed-rolls, a pair of fiber-liftingrolls, and a series of fiber-feeding rolls, the lifting and feedingrolls being mounted in the carriers, substantially as set forth.

6. In a decorticatingmachine, a pair of feeding-rolls,in combinationwith carriers pivotally supported on the feed-rolls, each car- I rierhaving mounted therein a fiber-lifting roll and a series offeeding-rolls, and a pair of stalkfeeding rolls located in the rear ofthe carriers, substantially as set forth.

7. In a decorticating machine, a pair of feed-rolls, in combination withcarriers pivotally supported on the feed-rolls, and provided with leversor handles for adjustingtheposition of said carriers, and having eachcarries of feed-rolls, and a roll supporting one end of a feed-apron,substantially as set forth.

8. In a decorticating machine, a pair of feed-rolls, in combination withcarriers pivotally supported on the feed-rolls, and each having mountedtherein a fiber-lifting roll, a pair of stalk-feeding rolls, and anadjustable plate secured to the upper carrier and resting upon the upperstalk-feed roll, substantially as set forth. I

9. In a decortioating-machine, a pair of carriers adjustably mounted oneabove the other, each of said carriers having mounted therein afiber-lifting roll, a central feed-roll, and a series of feed-rollsarranged around the central roll; substantially as set forth.

10. As an improvement in the art of sepa rating vegetable fibers fromthe woody body of jute, ramee, and other like plants, theherein-described method, which consists in loosening the fibrouscovering or bark from the woody body by breaking or crushing the stalksof such plants longitudinally, and then lifting or pulling the fibrouscovering or bark from the woody body in continuous transversely unbrokenlengths, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I havehereunto set my hand.

GEORGE GIBSON.

Vitnesses:

DARWIN S. WoLeor'r,

R. H. XVHIr'rLnsnY.

rier mounted therein, a fiber-lifting roll, a se-

